City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Address: 523 Wyoming Boulevard NE
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Address: 216 Gold Avenue SW
108. Que Chula
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 255-0515
Address: 3410 Central Avenue SE
Description: Que Chula means “How cute!” and that’s a good description for this retailer of Mexican imports, textiles from Guatemala, and locally made jewelry. You can pick up Mexican folk art and handblown Mexican glasswear, traditional equipale furniture with a colorful twist, tooled leather purses, punched-tin decorations, framed mirrors, linens, pottery, and adorable hand-painted children’s furniture. There are lots of Virgin of Guadalupe–themed items, from mouse pads to shopping bags. Open seven days.
109. Charley’s Records & Tapes
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 296-3685
Address: 7602 Menaul Boulevard NE
Description: Serving music fans since 1988, Charley’s sells new CDs and has a big stock of used CDs and up to 4,000 tapes for sale, too. Vinyl LPs and singles ranging from classics to imports and indie labels are a big draw for local customers. You can find all kinds of collectibles in this vintage-music store, as well as rock T-shirts and a huge poster collection. There is also used equipment for sale, from turntables and cassette players (to play your vintage technology music on!) to DVD players. Open every day.
110. Natural Sound
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 255-8295
Address: 3422 Central Avenue SE
Description: This is a Duke City favorite for its wide range of new and used CDs, with a good selection of indie labels. Natural Sound also sells used tapes, LP records, and DVDs. Although the music assortment is diverse, there’s a strong collection of electronic and house music, in keeping with the staff’s personal tastes. The flyer table here is a popular community resource to find out what’s going on. This 37-year-old business is due to move to another location within Nob Hill in early 2010 but hopes to keep the phone number, so call for the new address. Open every day.
111. Bien Mur Indian Market Center
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 821-5400, (800) 365-5400
Address: 100 Bien Mur Drive NE
Description: Owned by Sandia Pueblo, this kiva-shaped center sells Native American arts and crafts, including jewelry, pottery, fetishes, baskets, and rugs. There is a large stock of over 19,000 handmade pieces from artists in various tribes and pueblos, and shoppers on all budgets should find something to suit. The showroom has been here since 1975, and the center’s name means Big Mountain. You’ll often find special-event sales taking place and changing showcases highlighting selected artists. There’s a tobacco store here, too. Open seven days.
112. Skip Maisel’s
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 242-6526
Address: 510 Central Avenue SW
Description: You’ll find shelf upon shelf of Indian jewelry, pottery, and other crafts in this Downtown landmark store. Although Skip Maisel’s bills itself as a wholesaler, it sells direct to the public but at wholesale prices. There are thousands of pieces of pottery from different pueblos and tribes, including Santa Clara Pueblo’s famous black pottery, and just browsing the different styles and motifs is an education in itself. There is also a wide range of Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni jewelry; Navajo rugs; and handmade kachinas. There are usually Indian artisans in the store, so you can watch them at work. Closed Sunday.
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Address: 1919 Old Town Road NW
114. Sport Systems
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 837-9400
Address: 6915 Montgomery NE
Description: This locally owned retailer has equipment, clothing, and specialty shoes and boots for sports people and lovers of the great outdoors. Runners, hikers, cyclists, swimmers, yoga practitioners, and winter sports fans will find a good selection of brand-name gear here, such as Nike, Adidas, Salomon, Teva, Speedo, the North Face, and Patagonia. Additional services include rental of ski and snowboarding equipment and gear, and Sport Systems also organizes group cycle rides and clinics. There’s also an in-store coffee shop. Open seven days.
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Address: 2412 San Mateo Place NE
116. CAKE FETISH
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 883-0670
Address: 2665 Louisiana NE
Description: Decadent cupcakes in dozens of flavors fill the shelves of the two Cake Fetish stores. Piled high with hand-frosted decoration, cupcakes include Sleepless in Albuquerque (chocolate cake, with mocha buttercream, chocolate ganache, and an espresso bean); Velvet Elvis—a red velvet cake with cream cheese buttercream and a sparkle of red sugar sprinkles; and the delectable Piña Colada coconut cupcake with pineapple and coconut buttercream. Their Fluffer Nutter flavor made MSN.com’s 2008 list of The Country’s Best Cupcakes, and Cake Fetish also appeared in Forbes Traveler’s 2009 round-up of America’s Best Cupcakes. If you can’t make up your mind which one to try, buy a variety tray of mini cupcakes. There are daily specials, and even doggie-treat cupcakes. Closed Sunday.
117. THE CANDY LADY
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 243-6239, (800) 214-7731
Address: 524 Romero Street NW
Description: Candy lady Debbie Ball tempts Old Town visitors with a wonderland of treats, from good old-fashioned licorice, caramels, and rock candy to hand-molded chocolate tool sets. The fudge here (in 20 flavors!) is especially worth checking out, and chocolate-covered strawberries are a favorite with customers. More adventurous sweet tooths will enjoy trying the red or green chile peanut brittle or piñon brittle. There are also sugar-free candies here. There is an adults-only selection of naughty novelty candies in a separate room.
118. Theobroma Chocolatier
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 293-6545, (877) 293-6565
Address: 12611 Montgomery Boulevard NE
Description: The Theobroma name derives from two Greek words translating to “food of the gods,” and this small family firm does its best to live up to the name, with hand-dipped chocolate assortments; truffles; after-dinner mints; chocolate-covered cherries, blueberries, and almonds; glace apricots; and nut bark. Popcorn fans will enjoy the milk chocolate–covered old-fashioned or caramel popcorn. Theobrama Chocolatier also sells Taos Cow ice cream and fresh fruits, including strawberries and pineapple, dunked in white, dark, and milk chocolate. Kids will love the UFO—a disk of chocolate studded with caramel and pecans and topped with white chocolate. Closed Sunday.
119. BUFFALO EXCHANGE
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 262-0098
Address: 3005 Central Avenue NE
Description: Trade and buy new and recycled women’s and men’s fashion at the bright and breezy Albuquerque branch of this national chain. There are some clothes for juniors, too, but not for small kids. This is also a good place to find retro clothing, shoes, hats, accessories, and ties for theme parties, especially from the 1970’s, ’80s, and ’90s, but there is also lots of funky and fun contemporary gear, and customers come back often to see what’s new. Open seven days.
120. Super Thrift Store
City: Albuquerque, NM
Category: Shopping
Telephone: (505) 255-5523
Address: 615 Virginia Street SE
Description: This is Animal Humane’s thrift store, and as animal lovers are generous with their donations, it’s a good place to sniff out antiques, furniture, household items, clothes, collectibles, and low-cost books. Bargain hunters love their prices, but note that the store closes for lunch. There is a second store at 7901 North 4th Street NW; (505) 217-3476. Both are open every day.